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California is Working on Solutions to Worsening Climate Change. Will They Be Enough?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Dorany Pineda

In the opening chapter of “The Ministry for the Future,” science-fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson details a calamitous heat wave that kills almost all the residents of a small town. In another chapter, he imagines a catastrophic flood that wipes out Los Angeles.

The late Octavia Butler described a Southern California reeling from years of drought in “Parable of the Sower,” and Paolo Bacigalupi writes about a near-future Southwest that’s also been devastated by drought.

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This Endangered Toad is Experiencing a Resurgence Thanks to Storms Like Hilary and a San Diego Water District

/in , , /by /NBC 7 by Joe Little

An endangered toad in San Diego’s East County is having a bit of a resurgence thanks to a couple of storms like Hilary and a large hole in the bottom of a dam.

“This is perfect habitat for the arroyo toad,” said Sweetwater Authority Biologist Pete Famolaro while standing in a Sweetwater River watershed near the Loveland Reservoir.

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Opinion: Why Assuming the Next Storm Will Be Relatively Mild Like Hilary is Dubious and Dangerous

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

The arrival of Tropical Storm Hilary in the region on Sunday was an ordeal or a huge inconvenience for many people — especially those who struggled with flooding in Tijuana, air travelers dealing with flight cancellations and delays, and drivers using Interstate 8 who only learned the freeway was closed in the Ocotillo area when they came upon massive lines of cars and 18-wheelers.

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California Seeks to Introduce Purified Wastewater to Drinking Supplies

/in , , /by /Spectrum News 1 by Jeremy Lindenfield

Earlier this summer, state water officials introduced draft regulations that, if passed, would allow purified wastewater to be directly introduced to drinking supplies.

Currently, purified wastewater has to be introduced to environmental buffers like groundwater aquifers before being added to drinking supplies, but the new regulations would allow treated water to bypass this step after undergoing additional purification processes.

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Coastal Areas Will Face Record ‘Sunny Day’ Flooding in 2024 — NOAA

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Christine Mui

Eight locations along the nation’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts experienced a record surge in high-tide flooding days last year, a trend intensified by rising sea levels and weather patterns that El Niño is expected to escalate in 2024, NOAA said Tuesday.

Coastal communities are expected to face three times as many high-tide, or “sunny day,” flooding instances through next April, compared to two decades ago, agency officials said in a press call.

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San Diego County Water Authority Sues Over Fallbrook, Rainbow Possibly Leaving District

/in , , /by /10 News by Natalie Chuck Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

In an “unprecedented” move, the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) is suing a local commission for approving the decision to allow two north county water districts to seek water elsewhere.

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County Water Authority Sues Over Rainbow, Fallbrook Agencies’ Departures

/in , , /by /KPBS FM/TVby Alexander Nguyen, Charlotte Radulovich and City News Servcie Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority filed a lawsuit Monday over the proposed departure of two North County water agencies, which the water authority alleges will raise water rates for other county residents.

The lawsuit challenges a decision from the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission to allow the Rainbow Municipal Water District and Fallbrook Public Utility District to leave the water authority and join a water agency in Riverside County.

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Southern California’s ‘Water Doctor’ Pushes for Transformation to Adapt to Climate Change

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

When Adel Hagekhalil speaks about the future of water in Southern California, he often starts by mentioning the three conduits the region depends on to bring water from hundreds of miles away: the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Colorado River Aqueduct and the California Aqueduct.

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Multiyear El Niño and La Niña Events Likely to Increase, Researchers Say

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Service by Alanna Madden

Climate scientists are bracing for potentially lengthy El Niño and La Niña events, according to a new study revealing how the underlying mechanism for climate variability is responding to increased greenhouse gas emissions in unpredicted ways and inducing El Niño-like conditions after volcanic eruptions.

The research published in Nature Wednesday details recently discovered trends of the “Pacific Walker Circulation,” (PWC) an atmospheric phenomenon relating to east-west circulation along the equatorial Pacific.

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Colorado River Basin States Stake Out Positions on the Future of Mead, Powell Reservoirs

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Shannon Mullane

Colorado River Basin states don’t agree on very much when it comes to the future operations of the basin’s largest water savings banks. One thing they do agree on: The current rules aren’t working.

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